Genetic options for combating biotic stresses in cool-season food legumes

Abstract

Cool-season food legumes, mainly faba bean (Vicia faba),
chickpea (Cicer arietinum), field pea (Pisum sativum), lentil
(Lens culinaris) and grass pea (Lathyrus sativus), are
economically and ecologically important crops in many
countries. However, a number of biotic stresses (diseases,
insects and parasitic weeds) constrain their productivity at
farm level. Breeding efforts have been underway for many
decades to address these biotic stresses at national and
international levels. As a result number of improved varieties
are developed and released along with proper crop
management and protection practices. Due to the
appearances of new pathogen population; absence of
resistance sources for pests in the cultigen for pests with
wide host range and emerging pests, continued breeding
efforts have been required to come up with new cultivars.
Molecular markers have started playing a major role to
facilitate deploying complex traits to adaptive cultivars
background. The purpose of this review is, therefore, to
shed light on research progresses and challenges in cool
season food legume breeding to major diseases, insect
pests and parasitic weeds.